Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem or anything associated with it.
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The next morning…
Near the freshwater river banks, a mild fog permeated the forests and surrounding environments, filling them with a sense of mystery as the smaller creatures of the early morning buzzed about and the earliest chirping of the birds began. Around the light undergrowth hopped a brown rabbit that made its way to the river to drink some water. At the slight shuffle behind it, it quickly raised its head, alert of whatever may be near it.
Not seeing anything with its eyes, the rabbit returned to drinking water, unaware of the pair of eyes that had it in sight. Without any knowledge of its predator, the rabbit had no escape for the quick set of teeth that pierced its neck, ending its life at the riverbank.
Satisfied with his prey, Khimari decided to take it back to share with Volug, since the prince already found some food for Ena earlier. Shifting through a thin layer of shrubs and grass, he arrived at their sleeping place the previous night. Walking over to the brown wolf, he dropped the rabbit between the two while Ena continued eating her food. "Time to eat," the blue wolf simply said before diving in, taking a large bite out of the fresh-kill.
Nudging it over, he gave Volug space to take his own bite out of the rabbit. Repeating this cycle a few more times, the two went back and forth eating the fat prey until it was reduced to bone. "Young Khimari, shall we continue?" Volug asked when they finished feasting.
"...Yeah, come on," Khimari confirmed, transforming into his Beorc form and taking out the map that he "borrowed" from Micaiah's quarters yesterday. "Once we pass here, we need to go southwest of Castle Nox...to get to the place Almedha told us about," he informed, before looking towards the red dragon. "Do you know that place?"
"Yes," she answered softly. "It is a base, although not regularly contacted nor heavily guarded. I doubt we will have to worry about getting found out by anyone provided we stay far away enough."
"Alright…Ena?" Khimari called, bringing the Goldoan's gaze to him. "When we get there...Do you want to stay outside with Volug?"
"...I'm not sure what you mean," she finally said after a long silence filled with nothing but the faint sound of footsteps.
"I mean...I know you hate violence," he sighed. "I wouldn't want to bring you or Volug into something that I don't have to. He is dangerous."
"Khimari...I want to fight alongside you," the woman said resolutely. "Izuka cannot be allowed to roam freely any longer. For this, I...I will not let you suffer the burden alone."
"Where you go, I follow," Volug plainly declared. Despite everything considered, the wolf found a smile on his face.
"Ena, Volug...Thank you."
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Meanwhile…
In the current camp of the Gallian Army, Ranulf found himself awaiting word from a small scout troop sent ahead. Before dawn, he successfully petitioned Skrimir to gather a group to survey the state of affairs at Mugill. The sun had barely started its ascent over the horizon, but every moment mattered considering that there was an upcoming briefing with Ike and staff of the Greil Mercenaries about their next plans, which wouldn't be concrete until they knew about what was going on.
Fortunately, it seemed as if the blue cat wouldn't be in suspense too long as he caught sight of the scouts returning from the east. Walking up to them, he patiently waited for the two cats and two tigers to revert to their two-legged form. "Well? What did you find?"
"Cowardly humans," one of the tigers snarled. "They sealed their entryway."
"Hmm...Good work. I'll go inform General Skrimir." As the group went their separate way, Ranulf walked towards the lion's tent, before he smelled his scent on the wind heading towards the meeting tent. After a moment of deliberation, he eventually decided to head to the meeting tent, which turned out to be the best course of action considering Skrimir's scent strengthened as he neared the structure. Walking in, he found Ike, Soren and Titania already gathered and awaiting the meeting's start. "Wow, aren't you some early birds?" the cat asked rhetorically as he took his place between Ike and Skrimir at the table.
Grabbing the map rolled up on the table, Ranulf spread it out so that everyone could see the piece of paper clearly. Without any need to delay the meeting any longer, the cat quickly pointed to a location right next to Flaguerre, the fortress they conquered the day before last. "Now, our next target is Mugill. According to our scouts, the gate has been sealed already, and they have no plan to come out anytime soon," he informed, before looking over to Skrimir, who seemed bored. "This won't be as easy as our last battle in Flagurre."
Skrimir quickly proved his disinterest in whatever his second-in-command had to say with the release of a great yawn from his mouth. "Beorc are all the same," he said dismissively. "We will run them down, just as we did before." Considering the fact that Ranulf hadn't seen his mate for a month, and the additional fact that he wasn't a morning person as it was, his perpetual headache quickly started to spread around his head.
"Skrimir...Listen, please," the blue Gallian pleaded. "Just this once?"
"...What do you think, Soren?" Ike asked, bringing the tactician into the fold. Unsurprisingly, the mage simply rolled his eyes at being directly addressed.
"The Flaguerre survivors will have warned Mugill of our advance," he said matter-of-factly. "That's so obvious, even you must have anticipated it," he remarked, looking directly at Skrimir. "You don't even have a plan?"
"Do not mock me, Beorc boy," Skrimir growled, apparently not pleased with being spoken to in such a demeaning way. "Why should I bother with plans? No soldier would cower behind stone walls after being challenged to a battle! We will issue a challenge, and they will meet it," the lion explained as if it were the simplest thing in the world. "We have no need for plans!"
"Do you realize how absurd you sound?" Soren bluntly asked after blinking his eyes a few times. Amazingly enough, despite the tactician's condescending tone, Ranulf could tell that he was actively holding himself back from saying even worse things to his headstrong general. "The enemy did not build a fortress so that they could stand outside of it. They will not come out of their own accord."
"But…" Skrimir had no reply when he realized that Soren's words held a degree of merit. "Those Beorc cowards! They will hide from us!?" he asked, apparently shocked. "What do we do? I do not know how to fight cowards!" he proclaimed, his shock quickly turning into untamed anger. All the while, Ranulf's headache had been getting worse and worse with every word Skrimir said.
"Don't you get it?" the cat followed, pointing towards the map once again. "That's what we're trying to decide! Think, Skrimir," he said. "Just try."
"No!" the lion adamantly refused, crossing his arms like a petulant child. "That's your job, Ranulf. You're my second-in-command. Think of a way for me to use my strength!" he ordered. "Anything else is a waste of my time. I shall go outside to train. Tell me when you have a plan," he declared, before excusing himself from the meeting.
"...Damn hairbrain," Ranulf cursed after watching the Gallian general walk outside. He had considered calling the lion to get him to stop his exit, but knew that it would be useless. With his headache now in full force, the cat simply turned to the Greil Mercenaries as he massaged his temples. They had varying expressions, with Soren looking bored and irritated, Titania looking somewhat piteous of the cat, and Ike looking like...well, like Ike.
"...This is ridiculous," Soren voiced. Lowering his hands from his head, the cat eagerly awaited whatever scathing comment the charming staff officer was about to say about Skrimir, or Gallia, or even himself. "I'm amazed that someone was desperate enough to make him general."
"I'm tempted to agree with you on that," Ranulf jumped in, though his mouth didn't voice his true thoughts running through his throbbing mind. He agreed wholeheartedly with Soren and was seriously doubting King Caineghis' decision to make Skrimir general, even if he knew and understood the rationale behind the decision. "But, there's a reason he's here."
The Beorc in the room turned their full attention to Ranulf to hear what this "reason" possibly could be. "Never in its history has Gallia invaded another country. We don't have any experience or tactics to fall back on for this," he sighed. "On top of that, our general...well, you've already seen it for yourself. Skrimir...He doesn't pay attention to detail, nor does he feel a need to use strategy. Sadly, it's not even just Skrimir," the cat sighed again. "Most Laguz are the same. They're arrogant and stubborn. It doesn't even occur to them that we won't be able to power through the Beorc forever."
"Why isn't Caineghis leading the army?" Ike queried. Surely the king would be a better suit to engage Begnion than the reckless general who left the meeting a while ago.
"It's not an option," Ranulf shut down. "We aren't mobile like the bird tribes. Once we leave our lands, it isn't easy for us to get back. We can't take our king away from his domains."
"Well, what about Giffca, then?" the mercenary commander threw out. "There have to be other capable generals to lead Gallia."
"Yeah, you'd think that Giffca would lead, but...he has other duties to attend to, which only leaves Skrimir."
"...I understand," Soren said after a long period of silence. "Laguz choose their leaders based on strength. If Skrimir is to be the next king, this war is the best opportunity for him to learn about strategy."
"Exactly!" Ranulf confirmed, happy that someone could think critically about a situation. "Since that's the case, we need all the help we can get." At that moment, the cat noticed Ike and Titania share a glance between each other. "...Is something wrong?"
"Not to pry, Ranulf, but why isn't Khimari with you?" Titania asked gently. "Surely he has some experience to be of use, tactically speaking." When Ike and surprisingly, Soren nodded along with the red-haired paladin, the cat knew he had a lot of explaining to do.
"Khimari...isn't allowed outside of Gallia at the moment," he carefully worded. Even then, the expression of all of them changed drastically, even that of the normally stoic magician. "See...This war, although caused by Begnion's aggression, is in part for his safety."
"How in the world could Khimari possibly be in danger?" Soren replied with his usual tone, though his eyes held a level of concern that genuinely dumbfounded the blue wolf's father.
Sighing, he decided that the metaphorical cat had come out of the bag and that it was time to come clean. "You remember when I informed you about Prince Rafiel's return, correct?" he asked, to which Ike nodded confirmation for the three of them. "After hearing it, King Caineghis and King Tibarn decided to inform King Naesala of Kilvas, and thereafter decided to send a messenger envoy, which Khimari led to Begnion."
"The messengers that were attacked?" Ike questioned, wondering why he wasn't told this before. Even if it wasn't pertinent information, he had still grown up with the wolf and considered him family.
"The very same," Ranulf sighed. "Khimari, being Khimari, helped the others escape and killed the rest of their pursuers, but by then, the damage was done. The situation only worsened when he returned to Gallia with news of his meeting with Begnion's senate."
"What news could that be?" Titania asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Apparently, Begnion's senate offered an alternative to our demands, a compromise of sorts," the Gallian explained. "In exchange for Reyson and the rest of the heron tribe having full and complete control of Serenes Forest ceded to them, Khimari would stand trial in place of the wolf tribe for the assassination of the previous apostle." Both Ike and Titania gasped at the information, shock covering their entire faces.
"...How extremely devious," Soren commented. "By using a benevolent action towards the stereotypically docile herons, they would essentially earn the right to sentence Khimari to death and remove him from any future equation in their plans. Even so, why isn't he on the battlefield?"
"King Caineghis forbid him," the cat answered. "And I...I agreed with it. As for tactics, Khimari helped me plan the attack on Flaguerre and gave tips on moving forward, but without being an active participant with us, his role is rather limited."
"Considering this army's current state of affairs, strategy-wise, restricting Khimari to Gallia was a highly irresponsible calculation," the tactician scathingly remarked, with a judgemental look in his eye.
"Please, lend us your wisdom," Ranulf pleaded, ignoring the venom behind Soren's remark. In all honesty, he agreed with the sharp-tongued kid. But the decision had already been made and this is where they were. "Without your help, this war's outcome is certain."
"You can count on us, Ranulf," Ike reassured almost instantly.
"We've told you already. We're here to help," Titania added. Looking over, the three saw Soren standing there with his eyes closed, as though he still was taking in everything that had transpired through the meeting.
"Soren, say something!" the deputy commander lightly prodded.
"Well, it looks like your charming staff officer isn't the most fond of Laguz just yet," Ranulf commented, allowing the faintest of grins to return to his face.
"I'm sorry, Ranulf," Titania returned with a somewhat sheepish look on her face. "He's gotten better but…"
"Soren, Ranulf helped us out," Ike said a little slowly. "On top of that, he's our client. It's our turn to return the favor, and for him and Khimari, we're going to do it right. Clear?"
"...Fine," the short mage huffed. "But it will cost you more."
"Thanks! We really appreciate the help," Ranulf thanked, not even caring about the higher bill add-on.
"Give me some time to myself," Soren requested as he began to open a notebook of some sort and prepared a writing apparatus that he had with him. "I'll come up with a plan to get us out of this mess."
"Great," Ike said, a smirk on his face. "We're counting on you, Soren."
"I know," the tactician said in such a way that Ranulf couldn't help but chuckle a bit. "I'll do what I can."
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One day later…
"Alright, that should be good enough for the day," Khimari decided. After another two days of travel, the small group of three found themselves slightly northwest of Castle Nox, the landmark that they used to determine their location. The small mountain chain that separated Begnion and Daein stood over them, illuminated by the milky light of the nearly full moon. Although there wasn't much to offer in the way of cover, the area was remote enough not to have to worry about any unexpected visitors. Looking around, the three quickly found a small patch of tall bushes that would provide at least a little cover, all things considered.
"Do you want me to fetch food, young Khimari?" Volug asked.
"...Yes, please," the prince nodded, before something tugged at the back of his mind. "I'll go for a quick survey ahead, so don't worry about me. Ena, are you alright staying here?"
"I will be fine, Khima-" Before she could finish, she abruptly convulsed, holding her stomach. Without any hesitation, Khimari ran over to the Goldoan, kneeling down and gently putting his hands on her shoulder and wrist.
"Are you alright?"
"Yes...Even Goldoan babies kick," the red dragon explained with a little smile on her face. Seeing that it was nothing serious, Khimari snorted in laughter at the cute little unborn baby. It seems that Ena's baby already had a great sense of humor.
"Alright, Volug and I will be back soon," the wolf said, before the two Hatarians set off to do their separate tasks. While Volug went to hunt food for the three of them, Khimari went south towards the mountains to see the upcoming terrain. It quickly became apparent that it was very rocky, with jagged edges starting to protrude from the flat earth. Looking around, he was happy to see that various valley ways were present in the direction that would lead them to their destination.
Going to one of the structures, the wolf jumped on top of it before going into his pouch. After a few seconds, he pulled out a rock with a green-blueish color to it. Assuming a sitting position, Khimari focused on the moon's light as he held the object in his hands. "...Are you there?" he asked in his mind.
"Hpmh," a simple thought crossed, making the wolf roll his eyes. "How is your mission progressing?"
"We're closing in on a potential base of his," he informed. "We're probably a few days away. If we're lucky, he's there..."
"Hmph." Without an extra word, Khimari could feel the connection linger away, meaning that the conversation was over.
"Hard-ass lizard," the wolf muttered as he put the sending stone in the pouch on his side. Sighing, he decided to sit a while longer and watch the moon as the thought of his parents entered his mind.
Out of the two, he was definitely more worried about his dad the most at the moment. It had already been about a month since Ranulf went to contract the Greil Mercenaries, which by what King Caineghis told him, was successful. That meant that they definitely had already begun the fighting. Knowing how hot-headed Skrimir was, he could only imagine the magnitude and regularity of the headaches that the blue cat experienced. Hopefully, Ike and the others could help keep him sane as he helped Skrimir lead the Gallians.
As for his mother, he knew she was still in Gallia simply waiting. He really hopes that his little...escapade didn't put unnecessary pressure on her from the Gallian advisors to the lion king. He already knew that he'd most likely have to explain a large part, if not everything that was happening behind the scenes when he returned. Not to mention the chewing out that he would receive from Ranulf when he found out how the wolf up and left Gallia without a word to anyone and knocking out a child in the process.
Even still, knowing the hell he'd have to soon put with courtesy of his father and probably both King Caineghis and King Tibarn, the latter he still hasn't completely sorted his feelings out about, he wanted nothing else but to see his dad again and snuggle in his mom's fur. "He'd probably complain about that," the wolf said to himself as he transformed into his Laguz form and jumped off the small rock formation. "Besides, I'm a little too old to snuggle with my mom," he reasoned, before thinking about it.
At the time when they reunited, he hadn't seen her in fourteen years, more or less. "...Nah, I reserve the right to make up on lost time," he decided, before suddenly breaking into a run. Under the light of the full moon, he felt greater than he had in a while. That feeling was only amplified since the nights had started getting longer, as customary when the autumn season arrived. Energy flowed through him as he relished in the wind blowing past his fur, and the scent of fresh grass flying into his nose.
Before long, he returned to see that Volug already returned and was in the middle of eating a squirrel. Ena had two rabbits and a shrew, which made sense to the wolf. Being a pregnant dragon of all things, Khimari could only imagine how hungry the girl often had to be. For that reason, he always made sure that she ate the most food out of the three of them. "Young prince, you have returned," Volug commented, rising from his half-eaten meal. Padding over, he picked up a rabbit and a snake before dropping them at the blue wolf's feet. "Here is your food."
"Thank you," he thanked before taking a large bite out of the rabbit. Khimari heartily ate the food before him as the hunger he pushed off quickly returned full force after laying eyes on the food. In all reality, they didn't eat often while traveling, often going in long strides to maximize distance. The only reason they stopped occasionally in the middle of the trip was to make sure Ena got enough food to sustain herself. Since the two male wolves didn't have to worry about keeping a baby well-nourished, they often forewent eating food.
Licking his lips after leaving nothing but bone of the rabbit and completely demolishing the snake, Khimari looked up to see Ena staring at the night sky. "See something?"
"...The stars are beautiful tonight," the girl commented. Padding up to the dragon, Khimari let a blue light flash around him as he assumed his Beorc form. He then pointed to a bright star in the middle of the darkened sky.
"You see that star?" the wolf asked. When Ena nodded, he found it sufficient to continue his line of thought. "Go a little bit to the left, then down with my finger...There ya go," he praised when he saw that Ena's eyes were looking at the same thing. "That's Draco."
"Draco? Who…"
"Draco is a dragon from ancient times," the wolf started, before realizing that he didn't know the entire story in the modern tongue. "Sorry, but I'll have to switch languages here. A long time ago, a great serpent roamed the land. Living at the desert's edge, this fierce reptile spent its lifetime in guard of its greatest treasure." As Khimari started the tale, he closed his eyes to take himself back to the time when this story would be told to him by Kawila, his teacher back in Hatari. Whenever he managed to stay still for an entire lesson, she would reward him with a story of Hatarian lore. Despite having his eyes closed, he could see clear as day the image of the almost-elderly Beorc sitting with him in her small hut near the outskirts of Hatari in the direction of the oasis.
"One day, a woman fell ill. Her husband, a brave warrior, felt it necessary to do whatever possible to find a cure. Roaming the land, he eventually ran out of places to go...Except the Draco's Edge. Gathering the courage, he went with nothing but his body and his sword into the legendary being's territory. When he arrived, the warrior was shocked at the scene before him...A great river flowed to a lake in the middle of a beautiful jungle, completely out of sight by the desert. 'How could anyone know about this?' the warrior asked himself. 'I must tell everyone when I return!' he declared."
"At that moment," Khimari continued, "Draco appeared, rising out of the large lake. 'You shall not tell any human of this paradise, or I will make you perish,' he threatened. 'No, you don't understand!' the warrior returned. 'My wife is ill, and I seek medicine for her. Imagine if we could use this place; we could be able to cure a lot more people and have supplies for everyone.' Upon hearing that, the dragon narrowed his eyes. Preparing for the worst, the warrior gripped his sword tightly and took a battle stance."
"..." The Hatarian suddenly stopped speaking, opening his eyes and looking back up to the moon, as if seeking guidance.
"Why did you stop?" Ena asked after a long bout of silence.
"I can't remember exactly how Kawila told me the story," Khimari admitted. "But to summarize it, Draco showed the warrior his secret treasure, a fruit tree, and let him have one to cure his wife. Unfortunately, the warrior became arrogant and tried to wrestle away the paradise from Draco. He was killed, along with the rest of the people who he brought with him, although Draco was mortally wounded in the process. As he gave his dying breath, he used his remaining power to cast a spell to make sure that the secret paradise would never falter and that no damage would ever come to it. In using his power, he was denied a regular route to the afterlife and was sent into the stars to watch over the place he so feverishly protected."
"...Wow...and this story is...real?" the dragon asked as she held her stomach in her arms.
"Heck if I know," the wolf shrugged. "But back in Hatari, our water supply did come from an oasis that pretty much matched the description of the place. Wouldn't you say, Volug?" Without replying verbally, the brown wolf nodded his agreement. "For as long as I was in Hatari, and in the lifetime of everyone I knew living there, it never went dry."
"That...reminds me of an old tale my parents used to tell me as a child," Ena replied. With a childlike twinkle in his eyes, Khimari returned to his wolf form, tucking his paws underneath his belly as his tail swept around him. At the display, the Goldoan felt a long moment of serenity as she told the wolves stories of old under the calm night sky.
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Four days later…
Crossing the small mountain range in search of Izuka's base had proven to be a difficult task for the three. As the sun started to completely rise over the horizon, Khimari, Ena and Volug all looked feverishly for the madman's lair. Just yesterday, they had seen the base of the river from one of the higher points of a mountain that they crossed. Given Almedha's word, they figured that his base would be close enough to the river to be able to provide a quick escape. "Any clues?" Khimari asked the two as he looked around the flat space in between the river and the base of the mountains.
"No, I do not see anything," Ena said dejectedly, opening the map before her. "We are definitely in the region that Almedha described. Perhaps…" Before the dragon could continue her line of thought, the wind suddenly gusted, changing direction very quickly and shifting the map wildly.
"It's better if we put the map up for now," Khimari suggested, to which Ena agreed. "For now, we'll ju-" Suddenly, the blue wolf froze in his tracks, attracting the full attention to the two who were accompanying him.
"Is something wrong, young Khimari?" Volug asked as he noticed the young Laguz shaking slightly under his fur.
"Do...Do you smell what the wind brought?" he quietly asked. Taking a deep inhale, Ena shook her head in the negative, while Volug simply looked at the prince with confusion.
"Metal with...I've never smelt that before," the brown wolf admitted.
"That's the medicine in its base form, before it...before it's given to Laguz," the wolf explained as he turned in the direction of where the wind blew. "For as long as I live, I will never forget that smell. Follow me." Now on full alert, the three treaded carefully in the direction of the mountains, having to take many curves around a surprisingly forested area despite the rocky nature of the ground. Just as Khimari suspected, the scent of the Feral medicine had grown stronger as they continued their path, to the point where Ena could smell it.
"Young Master…" Volug called as Khimari continued to jump from rock to rock without a word to the other two.
"What is it, Volug?"
"Are you alright? You haven't stopped shaking," his uncle figure noted. As it were, two things about the blue wolf stood out the most in the current moment. One, his slightly trembling form and his small, but noticeable fear-scent. The other, an unmistakable aura of murderous rage that the brown wolf could only compare to the time when bandits tried to kidnap Nailah's only cub when he was three years old.
"This isn't the time, Volug," the young wolf evaded, not even bothering to slow down.
"...Khimari." Utterly shocked that Volug said his name without any sort of title before it, Khimari whipped around with wide eyes. "Calm yourself. We are here with you. Do not forget us."
For what felt like a long time, the two wolves looked each other straight in the eyes. Eventually, Khimari's steely expression softened with gratitude. "...Thank you, Volug. I needed that."
"It is nothing, my prince." Resuming their journey, it didn't take long until the scent became nearly intoxicating to the three Laguz. Before long, a small cavern entrance came into sight, right in front of them. Without a word, the three kept up their advance, although every step brought Khimari's mind back to Gritnea Tower.
A transformed tiger laguz stood behind the bars, his mouth foaming and his eyes seemingly glowing a pinkish-red color. As soon as the two Laguz met eye contact, the tiger jumped at the bars, unsuccessfully trying to rip Khimari to shreds.
Khimari shook his head to get rid of that image as they neared the cave.
"It's time, my darling!" Izuka said, opening the cell. It didn't help Khimari's nerves that he had a needle with him. "Usually, I would just put it in your food, but I can't contain my excitement any longer!" As much as Khimari struggled to get away from the madman, he was chained and could hardly move. All he could do was scream as the needle was stuck into his arm.
As the blue wolf began to breathe even harder at the memories, he tried to constantly remind himself that Ena and Volug were at his side. 'I'm not alone. I'm not alone,' he mentally repeated.
"Eat, you abomination," a soldier sneered at a growling Khimari. The wolf's entire body felt like it was on fire and he felt an unholy rage burning inside him. As the soldier threw the meat in the cell, Khimari instantly tore into it, rending it to pieces as he enjoyed the warm blood dripping between his teeth.
Giving his entire body a shake, Khimari sent quick words of reassurance to the Laguz next to him, although the memories kept coming in full force as they neared the cavern entrance.
"What am I doing?" Khimari asked himself with tears as he looked at the bones of the Beorc arm the Daein soldier gave him. He hadn't been given food or water for who knows how long, and that medicine made him crave human blood. Reverted back into Beorc form, the wolf cried as he curled into a ball to avoid looking at what he did.
Resisting the urge to throw up, Khimari stopped along with Ena and Volug as they reached the cavern's entrance. The putrid spell of experimentation invaded their senses, and they heard the faint sound of an individual there, meaning that someone had found them. "...He's...Rajaion…" Ena muttered, before looking at Khimari.
"LET ME OUT!" the wolf screamed in outrage as he struggled against the chains. "LET. ME. OUT!" Transforming into a wolf again, he momentarily lost himself as he started to writhe in every direction to find freedom. Howling in pain and fury, he ignored his own blood spilling across the room as he tried uselessly to attack the chains. Seeing only red, the desperate wolf barked repeatedly as his bloody claws scraped down the walls, adding more and more blood across his cell.
"Khimari?" Ena whispered softly, bringing her hand to the wolf's head. Initially flinching at the touch, the wolf returned the favor with a quick nuzzle as he tried to calm himself.
"Help…" he pleaded, yet he knew no one would hear him. Transforming into wolf form on his own, Khimari laid down on the ground and decided that fighting against it wouldn't work anymore. He would be turned into a Feral One; a mindless beast….a monster.
'No, I'm not alone,' the blue wolf said to himself. "...Let's go," Khimari directed, showing his blue and green eyes to Volug and Ena. He no longer shook, and his eyes held only an unbounded anger.
Nodding, the two followed him into the dark cave, resolute in making sure the monster inside of there never spent another day breathing.
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A/N: And...wow, that's that! Sorry to everyone if you feel that the chapters are shorter, but it feels better in this way and it's a more convenient way of keeping content fresh while college is in session (especially since it's around test season...Ugh.) Anyways, I hope you liked this chapter (although it may have gotten….a little graphic at times, I figured that it wouldn't do to "coddle" the story, so to speak.) Remember to fave, follow and review, and I'll be seeing all y'all later!
Blizzard, out!